Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

An Ideal Husband

Play trailer Poster for An Ideal Husband PG-13 1999 2h 0m Romance Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
85% Tomatometer 66 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam) is a respected government official and a loving husband. His friend, Lord Arthur Goring (Rupert Everett), is a notorious womanizer who lives a life of casual lounging, meaningless flirtations and multiple illicit affairs. But when old acquaintance Laura Cheveley (Julianne Moore) arrives in London to stir up trouble, the lives of the two men become increasingly complicated and intertwined, and their true natures are revealed.
An Ideal Husband

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Brevity is the soul of wit, eh? This adaptation gets to the nitty gritty of Wilde's stage piece and plays on eternal human foibles.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Sight & Sound Jun 18, 2012
Parker's shuttlecock technique only succeeds in throwing Wilde's cascading rhythms seriously out of whack and makes it hard to attend to the language as fully as one would like. Go to Full Review Time Out Mar 2, 2011
The bright, crisp design, Wilde's arch eloquence and a classy company help to camouflage the shortcomings. Go to Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Jul 7, 2010
B
An enjoyable, minor, lustrously shot revamping of Oscar Wilde's play about the perpetually interlocked manners of love and deception. Go to Full Review James Hannaham Out Magazine May 27, 2022
As Arthur Goring -- "the idlest man in London" -- Rupert Everett sparkles brightest in the diamond necklace of Hollywood Brits adorning An Ideal Husband. Go to Full Review Film4 Jul 20, 2010
3.5/5
Quality comedy with a sprinkling of romance, skilfully assembled by a director with a clear feel for the material. Performances are universally great and the dialogue, of course, is superb. Go to Full Review Maitland McDonagh TV Guide Jul 20, 2010
3.5/4
It's lavish, clever entertainment, a welcome opportunity to laugh without shame. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Rolla A @RT71711268 Feb 18, 2024 I really liked this period drama, Cate Blanchett shines once again See more Alec B @Alec97 Jan 10, 2024 An enjoyably witty farce. Rupert Everett is just perfection here. See more Aug 7, 2021 An enjoyably witty farce. Rupert Everett is just perfection here. See more steve d @RT35616104 Jul 4, 2020 Not Wilde's best but it is entertaining. See more s r @ScottR Jul 29, 2019 It has its moments, but not one for the ages. See more paul d @PaulusLoZebra Jan 10, 2016 A delightful Oscar Wilde story with an all-star cast doing great work in a beautifully evoked period setting: that is a recipe for a delightful romantic comedy. See more Read all reviews
An Ideal Husband

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Oliver Parker

Director

Rupert Everett

Lord Arthur Goring

Julianne Moore

Mrs. Laura Cheveley

Jeremy Northam

Sir Robert Chiltern

Cate Blanchett

Lady Gertrude Chiltern

Minnie Driver

Miss Mabel Chiltern

More Like This

View All
The Third Wheel 33% 32% The Third Wheel Watchlist Jersey Girl 42% 48% Jersey Girl Watchlist Notting Hill 84% 79% Notting Hill Watchlist The Very Thought of You 40% 60% The Very Thought of You Watchlist Down to You 3% 48% Down to You Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related Movie News

View All
View All

An Ideal Husband

An Ideal Husband (1999) An Ideal Husband (1999) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam) is a respected government official and a loving husband. His friend, Lord Arthur Goring (Rupert Everett), is a notorious womanizer who lives a life of casual lounging, meaningless flirtations and multiple illicit affairs. But when old acquaintance Laura Cheveley (Julianne Moore) arrives in London to stir up trouble, the lives of the two men become increasingly complicated and intertwined, and their true natures are revealed.
Director
Oliver Parker
Producer
Barnaby Thompson, Uri Fruchtmann, Bruce Davey
Screenwriter
Oliver Parker
Production Co
Miramax
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 12, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$18.5M
Runtime
2h 0m
Sound Mix
Surround
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings